Hicle tips

E-book Bicycling Around The World

Bicycle photographer Paul Jeurissen and Grace Johnson have been traveling the world since 2010 in search for special bicycle photos. Early 2015, the e-book "Bicycling Around The World" was released in which the visual highlights are captured. A book with the remarkable images of their bikes, and the local bike culture.

Paul and Grace are no strangers to the world of bicycle travels. Paul's photos regularly appear in cycling publications all over the world. He also exhibited at the "Fiets en Wandelbeurs" (Cycling & Hiking Fair) in Amsterdam, which attracts about 20,000 cycling and walking enthusiasts every year. And then there is the "Bicycle Traveler Magazine", a free e-zine of which Grace is editor. For Paul and Grace bike trips are not a recreational outing; it is their life. According to them, the world can be best viewed from a bicycle saddle.

To the rise: e-mountain bikes

The die-hard mountain biker won't hear any of it: e-mountain bikes. The electric version of the mtb shows itself more and more in the mountains, fields and forests. But ... is the attitude of the sporting cyclist based on personal experience? Probably not.

There's really only one way to find out: test one. Yes, the extra power helps you to negotiate steep slopes and makes it much easier to pass sandy or muddy stretches. This give you another advantage: you can concentrate more on your technique, obviously in an attempt to improve it. And surprisingly enough, also on asphalt - with smooth tires - the e-mountain bike performs great. Some models give you a reach of over 100 kilometers in the eco-mode.

Tourist regions like Tirol have now discovered the e-mountain bike. Beautiful, remote areas that were previously only accessible for walkers and the very sporty mountain bikers, are now waiting to be discovered by the less fit biker. And everything suggests that the popularity of the electric version of the e-mountain bike will only increase.

There's a bear. What happens next?

Encounters with bears seem unlikely if you are a city dweller. But if you stay in the great National Parks of Canada or the USA, the unlikely can become reality. Before you know it, there is a bear knocking on your tent door.

The big question is then: what do you do? Biologist/survival expert Lo Camps wrote a blog about it. Of course, you'll have to pay close attention to the body language of the bear. Does he want to eat tasty chocolate bars or does he want you? Is he storming towards you or does he run away from something?

In the latter case, Lo's tip is clear: step aside and let the colossus through. When a bear attacks you, handle the deterrence strategy: make yourself big, speak clearly and slowly walk backward. Do not run away: this just stirs up the hunting instinct.

If all of this does not work, try to climb a tree and use the bear spray or bangers. And what if all else fails? There is no suitable tree nearby? There is no clear strategy in this case. Some play death in the fetal position, with their hands on their neck. But you can also choose to fight back, hoping that this will scare the bear and he will take off.

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Hicle = a contraction of the words hiking & cycling and is a online community of hikers and cyclists.

Hicle Bikezine focus on recreational and adventurous cyclists with the slogan 'Hicle the world!'. Not only in the Netherlands and Belgium with a Dutch edition, but also international with a English version.

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